Anti-Israel protest in Jordan
Photo: AFP
Jordanian MP to file war crimes suit against Israelis
Reports in German Press Agency, al-Jazeera say Jordan's Legal Committee head to meet with International Criminal Court attorney general in Hague to file petition against Olmert, Barak, Livni and Ashkenazi for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead
Jordanian officials are working towards prosecuting Israeli officiali in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the German Press Agency and the al-Jazeera network reported on Monday.
According to the report, the chairman of the Jordanian Parliament's Legal Committee, Mubarak Abu Yameen al-Abadi, is scheduled to meet with The Hague's attorney general on Thursday and file a petition to prosecute the heads of the State of Israel for committing war crimes.
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The Jordanian MP will demand Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai and IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi stand trial.
The MP claimed that these officials were "the main forces behind the war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip". The petition refers to Israel's Operation Cast Lead and all activity carried out between December 27, 2008 and January 18, 2009.
The lawsuit accuses the Israeli officials of charges such as "expelling residents, the demolition of houses, places of worship, hospitals, schools and ambulances".
The Jordanian Parliament members further claimed that Israel used weapons prohibited by international treaties, such as white phosphorus, shells containing uranium, and shells containing cancerous substances that were used for the first time.
During the war, the parliament held a protest meeting, during which MPs from the Muslim Brotherhood demanded the Israeli ambassador be expelled from Jordan and diplomatic ties between the two nations be severed.
During the meeting, parliament members burned Israeli flags in protest and Jordanian Prime Minister Nader Dahabi did not rule out the possibility that his country may reevaluate relations with Israel.
Preparing for lawsuits
Some two weeks ago, the chief prosecutor's office in Ankara, Turkey, opened an investigation into whether Operation Cast Lead met the criteria of "genocide, torture and crimes against humanity".
Meanwhile, Israeli officials prepare to deal with other lawsuits against the IDF. Last month, a Spanish court granted a petition by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, asking that Israeli security officials be charged with "crimes against humanity" for their involvement in the 2002 assassination of Hamas operative Salah Shehade.
Fourteen civilians were killed in the incident in which an apartment building in Gaza was shelled, and about 100 more civilians were injured.
Ministers Avi Dichter and Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, former IDF Chiefs of Staff Moshe Yaalon and Dan Halutz, former GOC Southern Command Doron Almog, former National Security Council Head Giora Eiland and Brigadier-General (Res.) Mike Herzog have been named as persons of interest in the case.
